Scary Stories

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These are the stories we hope aren't true ...
Not your usual urban legends podcast. Scary Stories is an atmospheric exploration of the psychology of fear told through those classic stories that happened to a friend of a friend. Say a fond farewell to folklore because these are the stories we hope aren't true ...

These are the stories we hope aren't true ...
Not your usual urban legends podcast. Scary Stories is an atmospheric exploration of the psychology of fear told through those classic stories that happened to a friend of a friend. Say a fond farewell to folklore because these are the stories we hope aren't true ...

These are the stories we hope aren't true ...
Not your usual urban legends podcast. Scary Stories is an atmospheric exploration of the psychology of fear told through those classic stories that happened to a friend of a friend. Say a fond farewell to folklore because these are the stories we hope aren't true ...

Episodes

Ghosts can seem like a relic to a quaint past, a past where folklore was more than mere tales and hauntings were all too commonplace. And yet in a world where secularisation and atheism are ever increasing, curiously so is our belief in ghosts. But are such apparitions really the things that should be keeping us awake at night?
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Every night we lay down our heads, close our eyes and allow ourselves to slip into unconsciousness. And in doing so, every night we are unthinkingly putting ourselves at the mercy of our surroundings. Because monsters, both real and imagined, are too often lying in wait, and what better time to strike than when we are asleep?
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We live in, what can often seem to be, a relentlessly frightening world, where we are inundated with the worst crimes in our society by a 24 hour news cycle. And so, it would be natural to think that we would seek refuge from these daily horrors. Why is it then, that we feel a frisson of excitement when something scary opens with those five little words … based on a true story.
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We have long needed our fight or flight instinct for survival. But in a world where survival has never been easier, this internal mechanism is somewhat unnecessary. And, instead, it simply paralyses us with anxiety, where we neither run nor battle, but simply freeze.
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It is a popular adage that trust takes a lifetime to build and only a moment to break. But if we are being honest, we often give our trust willingly at a moment’s notice. Every time we step onto a bus, eat out, order a drink, get into that taxi, we are trusting strangers with our lives. But what happens if we get it wrong?
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When we think of the traditional roles that women have inhabited, we think of them as mothers and caregivers or as ingenues or temptresses. And while we may try to steady our nerves as we walk past a large group of men late at night, the same is generally not felt if that group is entirely female. Because we almost never see women as the person to be feared, the stranger who could do us harm. But are we right to make such an assumption?
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Love has been celebrated throughout human culture. From poetry and literature to heartfelt ballads and romantic comedies, we are obsessed with that first flush of romance. But at its core, the only difference between being in love and being scared beyond reason is who or what is standing in front of you.
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Humans have an instinctive fear of the dark. For good reason too, because the world quite literally looks and feels like a different place with the lights out. But the dark hides our own secrets as much as it does the monsters.
You might want to keep your nightlight on for this …
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The experience of time passing is integral to our understanding of the world around us. So when something appears to defy our ability to locate it in a particular time and place, humans will often feel a deep sense of unease. When this fuses with unnerving cultural memories, the result can often be something quite terrifying.
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We have all been taught from our youngest days that strangers equal danger. From the people living in our apartment blocks to the ones we share a subway home with, most of us are constantly surrounded by strangers. So how are we to ever know who we can and can not trust?
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Looking for the sinister in the absence of knowledge has long been an integral part of the human experience. That urge created much of our folklore, and urban legends are proof that we still do this today – even about the seemingly innocuous. But, you know what they say, just because we’re paranoid, doesn’t mean we’re not right.
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Do you like scary stories? Take a sneak peak at this new bi-weekly podcast all about the classic urban legends we all remember from growing up. From why we find these tales disquieting to sinister retellings, these are the stories we hope aren't true.
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Episode notes

Duration:00:07:54

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